Jeff's Corner - Discovery Basin, Montana

Discovery is a smallish Montana area which has opened new terrain in recent years. The area is in the high mountains roughly between Missoula and Butte. This is cold country -- an employee remarked to me one day that zero Fahrenheit here was 'toasty.'

The new terrain at Discovery includes a bowl full of 'double diamond' terrain. I found plenty of signs around the rim of the bowl warning non-experts to stay well away from the bowl -- and even that a fall there could result in serious injury. In reality, though the terrain is steep, it is no steeper than terrain found elsewhere in the west.

In all, Discovery has six chairlifts serving a beatiful stretch of terrain.

I visited on one cold day in February. The base was 36 inches, and while that is not a lot of snow I found coverage to be perfect. The area had received about 6 inches of very light snow the day before I arrived.

I started my skiing on the beginner slopes, some of which had not been groomed after the new snow. This is nice wide open crusing terrain, though with the new snow some of the trails were not steep enough to really get any speed up. Next up was the main intermediate terrain off the side-by-side
chairs on the other side of the front. This terrain ranges from rolling beginner slopes to moguled intermediate runs to some short steep pithces. Nothing here, however, is very steep. I made a few runs on the new Lightning chair, which serves the double diamond terrain. I was also the third person
to ski the untouched snow under the Granite chair, which had been closed the two previous days for maintenance. This was nice skiing on fresh snow.

Discovery is a laid back ski area, and quite uncrowded. I was there on a Friday and not only did I never wait in a line, I never even got to ride up single with anyone. People are quite nice. Since it was a cold day I had been keeping my digital camera in a pocket on one of my base layers. I was
taking it out to snap photos occasionaly and must have not zipped the pocket up, because a few runs before closing I reached for it and it was not there! I scoured the mountain looking for it, totally resigned to the fact it was gone, when liftie atop the Granite lift pulled it out of his room and said
another skier had turned it in. How's that for honesty! I offered to buy him a beer or a coffee but he declined.

Views from the top of the area are nice. To the north is the too-cute Philipsbug and a wide valley. To the south is sprawling snow-covered Georgetown Lake.

Services at the area include a shop, cafeteria, rentals and ski school. Within a few miles of the base are rental homes and a simple cafe. Nearest full services are about 20 minutes away in Anaconda, while Philipsburg, a few miles in the other direction, has a cafe and b and b. There is also a walk-up espresso bar at the base.

Jeff Schmerker
Waynesville, NC

Georgetown Lake from Discovery